1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to railroad tracks, and in particular to a brace for supporting a rail of a switch assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Braces are needed for rails for certain railroad installations. For example, a switch that enables a rail car to turn from one track onto another track requires a brace because of high lateral and rolling forces that will be exerted by the rail car. These forces tend to push the rail laterally and roll the rail about its axis.
Braces are employed to stabilize the rail. Generally, a brace is mounted to a tie plate and engages one side of a rail. Typically, the contact of the brace is at two points, these being a lower side of the head and an upper side of the base. Some braces are mounted by bolts, which are subject to loosening. Other braces use a spring clip to retain the brace in place. Some of these also have tapered wedging surfaces to wedge the brace between a block on the tie plate and the rail. While workable, improvements are desired.
The brace assembly of this invention includes a tie plate that has an upper surface portion that receives the base of the rail. A wedge block is secured to the tie plate next to the upper surface portion. The wedge block has an inner wall that faces the web of the rail. A longitudinally extending groove is formed in the inner wall of the wedge block. The brace has an upper edge that engages a downward facing surface of the head of the rail and a lower edge that engages an upward facing surface of the base of the rail.
The brace also has a tongue on the outer side that extends laterally into the groove. The brace and the wedge block have mating tapered surfaces that are at an acute angle relative to the vertical plane through the longitudinal axis of the rail. Moving the brace longitudinally relative to the wedge block allows the brace to be wedged between the wedge block and the rail. A fastener mounted to the wedge block fastens the brace to the wedge block in the desired wedged position.